So I'm a poster here on TLS, got some great advice out of the LSAT prep section and figured I'd get a question answered here.

I have a PS which I've written already which is fairy general and "safe." However, I wanted to get some opinions about writing on a topic that has the potential to become very inflammatory, very quickly if it's done the wrong way. I have an interest in doing PI work for the first few years I practice, whether working with an organization that helps low-income people in need of legal services or something along the lines of working for organizations that help defend civil liberties. My motivation for this comes largely from my religious beliefs which strongly inform my sense of social responsibility and social justice. Now I can definitely talk about the law apart from religion since we're a republic and not a theocracy, and I would fight for anybody's right to practice whatever religion they want or none at all. I'm not asking you to write my PS for me, but what I'm aiming to accomplish is to write about this in a way where I won't offend any sensibilities while at the same time saying this is important to me and if you want to know why I want to be a lawyer this is a significant factor in my decision. My outline has most of the PS talking about my goals as a lawyer and my background, I don't bring up religion in the "what" I want to do, but the "why" definitely has a religious motivation and I think leaving it out makes the PS incomplete.

Essentially what I'm asking is, is a topic like this going to get me auto-dinged even if I write about it in a mature and sensible way? I'll be aiming for Vandy, Texas, and the lower T14. Otherwise I'm not an URM and my softs are nothing special (other than volunteer work at my church which goes to my goals and PS).

"My motivation for this comes largely from my religious beliefs which strongly inform my sense of social responsibility and social justice" This is the potential problem, you don't want to suggest that people who are not religious can't have a sense of social responsibility or social justice.

gurgli wrote:"My motivation for this comes largely from my religious beliefs which strongly inform my sense of social responsibility and social justice" This is the potential problem, you don't want to suggest that people who are not religious can't have a sense of social responsibility or social justice.

True - and given this, I don't see why you can't prove your beliefs in social responsibility and social justice without mentioning religion and possibly polarizing your PS

gurgli wrote:"My motivation for this comes largely from my religious beliefs which strongly inform my sense of social responsibility and social justice" This is the potential problem, you don't want to suggest that people who are not religious can't have a sense of social responsibility or social justice.

True - and given this, I don't see why you can't prove your beliefs in social responsibility and social justice without mentioning religion and possibly polarizing your PS

OP here, thanks for the replies.

It's not really about proving my beliefs in social justice as much as explaining where they come from, and I think when I try and cut it out completely there's a gap; it's a great statement but it's no longer "personal." As far as suggesting that people who aren't religious can't have a sense of social responsibility and social justice, I definitely wouldn't want to suggest that (especially because I don't believe that to be the case). I would want to say that my particular views have been shaped by my experience of volunteering in churches and soup kitchens and that while people can develop a sense of social responsibility through many different ways, this is how I developed mine and why I want to do PI work. I've been very diligent in avoiding any discussion of particular religious beliefs or theology or commenting on the validity of any or no belief. It's a personal subject to me (I rarely discuss it IRL) but it does affect how I act and my career choice which is why I think it can make for a good PS.

And thanks for the suggestion of getting it proofed first. Definitely was going to do that, I have an English professor in my family and I was going to ask her to look at it from a mechanical perspective and a friend who's not particularly religious in any way to doubly make sure it's a personal statement talking about why I want to be a lawyer and not a sermon on social justice.

As long as your essay is about your personal development and motivations, writing about religion sounds fine to me. I think it's good to write about something that will encourage who you are to come through.

I do think it could be polarizing if you write more philosophically about connections between your beliefs and law, but it sounds like you aren't taking that tack at all.